The Boråsian ankylosaur

Reconstructions of dinosaurs can be pretty bad, especially if they are from the pre-Jurassic park era. Here we have two examples outside Borås Zoo near Göteborg. The Brachiosaurus and Triceratops below are not that bad.

However, check out this Euoplocephalus or Scolosaurus as the sign calls it (it is an invalid name). Compare it to the drawing further below. Now, what did the reconstructors miss here? Apart from the length of the spikes on the back the main problem is the posture. The Borås version seems like an overweight salamander with the legs only useful for crawling. As should be apparent to everyone in the post-Jurassic park era, all dinosaurs, including birds, have their legs directly below the body in order to support the body, just like mammals. That is one of the reasons they became large. Anyway, the Borås version is a reminder how long-lived the stereotypical view of dinosaurs as slow and ill-adapted creatures is.